Automatic deodorizer



July 24, 1951 x A. L. HELD 2,561,861

AUTOMATIC DEOIiJORIZER Filed June 28, 1948 III/IIIIVl/I INVENTOR.4/?70/4 L, fi/e/ai Patented July 24, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEAUTOMATIC DEODORIZER Arnold L; Held, Kansas City, Mo. Application June28, 1948, Serial No. 35,624

2 Claims. 1

, This invention has to do with means for automatically deodorizingrestrooms, the primary object being to provide automatic apparatuscapableof disposition adjacent a swingable door or the like foroperation thereby each time the door is opened and closed.

The most important object of this invention is to provide an automaticdeodorizer having a container adapted to support a deodorant andprovidewith a vaned rotor formed and disposed to direct a current of airthrough the container and against the deodorant, to the end'that theatmosphere is filled with the fumes from the deodorant automaticallyeach time a restroom door is opened.

I'jAnother important object of this invention is the provision of adeodorizer having a coiled spring joined to the above-mentioned rotorthrough the medium of a step-up train of gears, said spring beingenergized by a swingable arm disposed in the path of travel of aswingable door, all to the end that the restroom is filled with fumesfrom the deodorant automatically and without operator attention.

' Other objects of this invention include the way in which the swingablearm is disposed for movement in one direction when the 'door is' open;the manner of joining the arm to the spring to be compressed; theprecise formation ofthe rotor and its vanes; and the entire assemblageof parts within the container or housing for the deodorant.

j' Other more minor objects will be made clear orbecome apparent as thefollowing specification progresses, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a restroom stall, lookingoutwardly and showing the automatic deodorizer forming the subjectmatter of this invention operably mounted adjacent the stall door. a

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, top plan view of the door and the deodorizer.

:Fig. 3 is a substantially central, vertical, crosssectional view takenthrough the deodorizer; and,

Fig. 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on line IV-IV of Fig.3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The deodorizer, per se, embodied in this invention includes an elongatedtubular housing broadly designated by the numeral ill. The normallyuppermost end of this housing has a removable cover l2, having aplurality of relatively large perforations l4 formed therein. A screenor other foraminous member [6 is securely mounted within the housing I0intermediate the end thereof, said screen having an over-all diametersubstantially the same as the inside diameter of housing I0.

Immediately below the screen I6 is a number 01 spaced-apart slot-s I3arranged throughout the circumference of housing In. A plurality ofspaced-apart partition walls 20, 22 and 24 are mounted within thehousing l0 immediately below the slots l8 thereof. Partitions 2d and 22are joined by a number of vertical posts 26 and partitions 22 and 2dare, likewise, connected by a number of posts 28.

The lowermost partition 24 is provided with a number of L-shapedbrackets 30 that depend therefrom, and it is to these brackets 36 thatthe housing iii is connected by means of screws or the like 32. thescrews 32, housing Ill can be lifted bodily from the three partitions20, 22 and 24, together with the screen 'I 5 and deodorant 34 supportedby screen 16. Deodorant 23 may be of any of the conventional. typesreadily obtainable upon the open marketand taking the form of individualself-sustaining pellets. Such deodorant 3 4 is capable of emittingfumesinto the air when ,a current of such air is directed therethrough.

Accordingly, a rotor 36 is mounted within the.

housing Ill between the screen I6 and the uppermost partition 20. Thisrotor 3'6 has a hub 38 provided with a plurality of radial vanes 49,said vanes lil being curved longitudinally in the manner shown in Fig. 4of the drawing.

This rotor 36 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 4and, accordingly, when so rotated at a relatively fast speed, air willbe drawn into the container Ill through perforations. l4 formed in coverl2 as indicated by arrows in Fig. 3 of the drawing. Such air will movedown:

wardly, impinge upon the deodorant pellets 35. and thence pass throughthe screen [6 and out-w wardly into the atmosphere by wayof slots 18.:

The rotor 36 rotates upon a vertical axis by means of a shaft 42 uponwhich it is mounted. Shaft 42. projects downwardly through partitions 2iand 22 within which it is journalled, but does.

not extend below partition 22.

The uppermost face of the partition 25 car-.1

ries a coil spring 44. of conventional character having the outermostend thereof suitably secured to partition 24 in a manner not hereinillus trated.- The inner end of the coil spring 41 has connectiondirectly with averticalrodlfi that In other words, by the removal of.

most end of the rod 46 carries a conventional ratchet gear disposedconcentrically within a ring gear Ring gear 50 is provided with internalteeth and is loosely mounted on rod 46. A pair of opposed dogs (notshown) are pivotally mounted on ring gear 50 and each yieldably heldinterlocked with the ratchet gear by means of a leaf spring on ring gear56. One of the leaf springs is showniinFig. 3 and designated by thenumeral 52. f v 5 Accordingly, when the rod 46 is rotated in onedirection, spring 44 will be compressed and held compressed by the dogson ring gear 56. When the rod 46 is permitted to return to its originalposition, spring 44 will cause rotation of ring gear 50 and, also,rotation of a pinion within the ring gear and enmesh therewith. Suchpinion (also, not shown) has connection with a train of step-up gearingbroadly designated by the numeral 54 which, in turn, joins with theshaft 42 that mounts rotor 36.

' An L-shaped bracket 56 has one leg thereof underlying the partitionwall 24 and secured thereto by means of a number of bolts or the like58. Openings 6!] Within the other leg of bracket 56 permit mounting ofthe same together with housing l6 and all of the aforesaid partsdisposed therein upon framework 62 surrounding a door 64, in the mannerclearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

The lowermost end of rod 46 that projects downwardly below partition 24and exteriorally of housing ID has secured thereto one end of anL'-shaped arm 66. This said one end of arm 66 is bifurcated andcircumscribes rOd 46, and is clamped thereto by means of screws or thelike 68. The other end of arm 66 has a down-turned leg rotatablyreceiving a small roller 10. This roller 70 bears against an elongatedplate 12 formed on the innermost face of door 64.

In operation, inward swinging movement of door 64 causes swinging of thearm 66 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing. As thisaction takes place, the roller will rotate as it bears against andtravels along the elongated plate '12. Such swinging movement of arm 66rotatesthe rod 46 in one direction, compressing spring 44.

1 The above-mentioned spring-loaded dogs on ring gear 50 will holdspring 44 so compressed and, as door 64 is returned to the closedposition, gear 50 will commence rotating and arm 62 will slowly returnto the startin position where roller 1-0 re-engages plate 72.

The step-up gearing 54 will cause rotor 36 to rotate at a much greaterspeed than the rotation of gear 50, pulling air inwardly'into theuppermost end of housing In past the deodorant 34. Since the partitionhas substantially the same diameter as the inside diameter of housingin, such current of air as passes downwardly through screen I6 will beforced outwardly and radially from rotor 36 through slots l8.

. Accordingly, the deodorizer will be placed in operation each time thedoor 64 is opened, not only when a restroom user goes into the stallhaving door 64 as a part thereof, but again as he leaves. The air willbe automatically deodorized without any action on the part of therestroom user and will continue such automatic and intermittentoperation for a long period of time without any attention whatsoeverother than replenishing the supply of deodorant 34. 1

The entire device is simple in operation and inexpensive to manufacture.More important, however, it is positive in its operation and sure toperform its functions without necessitating periodic attention.

While only one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed,it is desired to be limited only by such changes andmodifications as fairly, come within the scope of the appended claims. i11 Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an automatic deodorizer having mechanism including a rotatable fanshaft, a rotatable winding shaft, means holding said windin shaftagainst reciprocation on it axis of rotation and parts interconnectingthe shafts for driving the fan shaft as the winding shaft is rotated inone direction and released for return to a normal position; a containerfor said mechanism adapted for mounting adjacent a swingablejdoor or thelike and having an air inlet opening; a fan on said fan shaft in thecontainer adapted when rotating to direct air radially therefrom; outletopenings formed in the container and disposed to receive said directedair; a foraminou 'deodorant support between said fan and said inletopening; and an arm on said winding shaft andextending laterallytherefrom, said arm being swingable relative to said container anddisposed within the path of travel of said door for rotatin the windingshaft in said one direction as the door is swung toward one end of itspath of travel.

2. In an automatic deodorizer havingmechanism including a rotatable fanshaft, a rotatable winding shaft, means holding said winding shaftagainst reciprocation on its axis of rotation and parts interconnectingthe shafts for driving the.

fan shaft as the winding shaft is rotated in one direction and releasedfor return'to a normal position; a container for said mechanism adaptedfor mounting adjacent a swingable door or the like and having an airinlet opening; a fan on said fan shaft in the container adapted whenrotating to direct air radially therefrom; outlet openings formed in thecontainer and disposed to receive said directed air; a foraminousdeodorant support between said fan and said inlet opening;

and an arm on said winding shaft disposed with-T in the path of travelof said door for rotating the winding shaft in said one direction asthedoor is swung toward one end of its path of travel, said arm extending(radially from said winding shaft and being swingable relative to thecontainer said arm having a roller on the outermost end thereof, saidroller being-engageableby the door as the latter is swung to rotate thewinding shaft.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent; I UNITED STATES PATENTS narrow L. HELD. V

